


a future to be had

by mrmurdocks



Category: Phandom/The Fantastic Foursome (YouTube RPF), Video Blogging RPF
Genre: Getting Back Together, M/M, Reunions, Talking, vague fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-30
Updated: 2018-07-30
Packaged: 2019-06-18 22:51:34
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,103
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15496503
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mrmurdocks/pseuds/mrmurdocks
Summary: Chris comes to one of PJ's performances ofSpace Tripand they reunite.A spiritual successor tomuscle memory.





	a future to be had

It was the first time that PJ had ever stumbled over a line during the show – and it wasn’t even his fault.

The tour was going great so far, and it was their third performance. It was the last act of the show, now, and PJ was talking to the leader of the space goblins. He turned towards the audience to deliver the last part of his line.

“… and finally, where am I supposed to find -”

Time froze, for a moment.

PJ had managed to make eye contact with Chris Kendall, who was sitting in the center of the back row. There was a grin on that stupid face of his, and he flashed PJ a thumbs up.

PJ turned away.

“And where am I supposed to find cardboard on a planet like this?”

The rest of the show went off without a hitch. PJ avoided looking back at Chris, but he couldn’t stop thinking about him. If PJ’s heart was beating a little faster than normal, he pretended not to notice.

 

–

 

After the show, the cast hung around in the lobby to greet the audience and sign autographs. PJ kept an eye out for Chris, but he was nowhere to be seen. Had he left already? Was PJ just imagining things? When the audience had left and the cast was heading back to the dressing rooms, PJ felt a soft tap on his shoulder. He turned around.

It was Chris. Of course it was Chris.

“Hey,” Chris said. “Great show.”

“Thanks,” PJ replied.

Chris looked at PJ. PJ looked at Chris. A moment passed.

“Well… Goodnight,” Chris said. He turned to leave.

“Wait,” PJ called. Chris turned back around. “Do you wanna… come over, later tonight? I mean, if you want, I -”

“Yeah,” Chris said, interrupting PJ and smiling. “I’d like that.”

“Cool,” PJ said. They stood there for another moment.

“Well, see you later, then,” Chris said, and he left, pushing open the giant brass doors. The sound echoed around the empty lobby. PJ blinked. God, how did Chris always do this to him?

 

–

 

They hadn’t exactly been close over the past year, but they weren’t distant, either. They were like two magnets, always orbiting each other but never staying close for long. What they had together wasn’t solid, but neither of them could let it go. PJ didn’t know if it was mutual attraction, nostalgia, or just loneliness. Maybe a mixture of all three.

When PJ heard the knock on the door of his flat, it reminded him of all the times before. It was a different flat now, but the same Chris, the same PJ, even though both of them had changed. It was the same way that Chris ducked his head as he stepped across the threshold, even though he didn’t need to. The same way that PJ closed the door behind him and watched as Chris kicked off his shoes. The same way that Chris took in the room and settled in the slightest ways, shoulders dropping and back straightening.

“Tea?” PJ asked. This was part of the ritual, too. Chris nodded. It was as if they had never been apart.

 

–

 

They sat sideways on opposite ends of the couch, facing each other, legs crossed and knees almost touching. They drank their tea in silence for a while, before Chris spoke up.

“Was I the reason you stumbled over that line?”

“What? Oh.” PJ laughed, softly. “Yeah.”

Chris grinned again, and the room seemed a little brighter. “Can’t have that happen again. You’ll have to ban me from all your shows.”

PJ scoffed. “We already tried. I’m surprised that security didn’t catch you this time.” Chris hadn’t stopped smiling. PJ’s heart was beating a little too fast.

It felt good to be doing this again. Talking, joking. The tension and the excitement from earlier in the night were melting away to just this moment, PJ and Chris, together on the couch. Everything came naturally. PJ had ached for this.

Chris shifted and now their knees were touching, a solid connection grounding both of them in the moment. PJ couldn’t stand it. PJ longed for more.

“Do you think you’ll go on a world tour?” Chris asked, after a few moments.

“Maybe. Hopefully. I don’t know,” PJ said, sighing. “There are a lot of logistics to figure out.”

“Yeah,” Chris replied. It seemed like he was going to say something else, but he stayed silent.

They had both finished their tea and now they were just sitting, fingers tapping against mugs, hearts beating in chests.

“I never did thank you,” PJ said, suddenly. Chris raised an eyebrow. “For that night in LA last year. For helping me sleep.”

Chris nodded slowly. Fragments of memories came back to both of them. Warm bodies intertwined, breath soft and slow. It was a moment outside of time, both yesterday and ages ago at the same time.

“What we have...” Chris began to say, but he trailed off. PJ knew what he was trying to say, and there weren’t words for it. It was the quiet phone calls late at night. It was the ocean of memories that was online for everyone to see. It was the memories that they had kept to themselves, closer and sweeter.

PJ looked into Chris’s eyes and felt… calm. Things were different now, but that wasn’t necessarily a bad thing. There was always a future to be had.

“Are we...” PJ started. His gaze had drifted down to Chris’s lips, and he dragged it back up to his eyes and kept it there. “Are we going to try this again?”

PJ watched Chris’s face as it shifted, ever so slightly, to something softer. They had known each other so intimately, once. Every movement, every look was a reminder of that, and it made PJ’s heart ache.

Chris stood up and gently took PJ’s mug from his hands, fingers lingering close together for just a heartbeat too long. Chris walked over to the kitchen and PJ heard the sound of the tap running, then the clink of mugs being set down in the sink. He heard Chris sliding his shoes on.

“So I’ll see you after your show tomorrow, yeah?” Chris asked.

“Yeah,” PJ called.

“Okay, goodnight.”

“Goodnight.”

It wasn’t really an answer, but it was, in their own language. A subtle promise that tonight was a beginning instead of an ending, a soft reminder that Chris would always be there.

When PJ finally got up to lock the door again after Chris had left, he smiled despite himself. It was Chris. It would always be Chris.

**Author's Note:**

> a year late is better than never, right? lmao
> 
> come talk to me on tumblr! I'm [@softpeej](http://softpeej.tumblr.com/) and [@ganseybabe](https://ganseybabe.tumblr.com/)


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